Figuring Out the Stuff Between the Beginning and the End

Energy

Becky got the coffeemaker going when she heard the commotion in the living room. I really don’t have the energy for their crap this morning, she thought. Not before my coffee.

None of them had much energy for anything. After spending a night in the cabin waiting to be mauled to death by some legendary creature that supposedly lurked through the woods. Randy had spooked everyone, claiming he had heard the thing growling in the darkness. This kept them all awake all night. Of course, nothing happened.

Randy seemed like a sweet guy. Becky could understand why Rob and Lana would try to set the two of them up. But he just wasn’t her type. That part where he was kind of a wuss turned out to be kind of a turn off for Becky. Causing a panic over hearing a cute little woodland creature moving around the in the bushes? Great impression, Randy.

“Becky!” Lana yelled from the other room.

“Hang on,” she called back, “it’s almost ready!”

“Come here! The coffee can wait!”

Becky rolled her eyes as she moved toward the living room of the cabin. “Don’t you know me at all? The coffee should never wait,” she said as she rounded the corner. What she saw made her freeze in her tracks.

Rob was on the floor, squirming under the weight of a German Shepherd. It was obviously playing with him, tail wagging, bathing his face with its tongue. “We found Randy’s horrible beast!” Rob said as he pushed the dog off his chest.

Becky loved dogs. She drew near and dropped to her knees to play with the apparently friendly animal. She reached for the dog’s collar and read the name on the tag. “Hey there, Annabelle,” she said, scratching behind Annabelle’s ears. “Where’d she come from?” Becky asked, turning back to Rob.

“Not sure,” he said as he got to his feet, “I opened the door to get some air and she pounced.”

“I wonder if she has an owner nearby.”

Lana walked to Becky and Annabelle. “I thought this was the only cabin around for miles.”

“Maybe someone’s camping,” said Rob. “Randy, you gonna at least play with the monster that kept you up all night?”

“No, thanks,” said Randy as he curled into a ball on the couch. Becky rolled her eyes again. He was probably afraid of the dog, too.

“Think the coffee’s ready?” Lana asked.

“Yeah. I need some. Like, right now,” said Becky.

The girls walked into the kitchen, leaving Rob to play with their new four-legged friend. They each poured a cup and began to sip. “I’m sorry about Randy,” Lana began.

“Don’t worry about it.”

“He’s not usually like this, though,” she continued.

Becky sighed, “Are you sure about that?”

Lana didn’t have an answer. Or she didn’t want to answer.

“Look,” Becky said, “I appreciate you guys thinking of me, but Randy’s just not gonna work out.”

“I understand,” said Lana as she took another sip of her coffee.

“Don’t worry, though. I won’t make the rest of the weekend awkward.”

“You won’t,” Lana said with a smirk, “but Randy probably will.”

Becky rolled her eyes yet again. It would take more than coffee to give her the energy to deal with this guy for the rest of this getaway.